The massive reptile, estimated to be at least 15 feet long, latched onto its 28-year-old owner’s neck Wednesday afternoon at a home in Fogelsville, Upper Macungie Township police said. “It was a pretty dire situation,” Lt. Peter Nickischer told The Post. “I have to give credit to the officers. There was no hesitation and they reacted and did the right thing.” Two officers went to the man’s home after receiving a report of someone in cardiac arrest with a large snake wrapped around his neck. A relative at home is believed to have called for help. The man was unresponsive and on the floor, his massive pet’s waist tightly coiled around his neck, Nickischer said. Officers responded to the man’s home Wednesday in the 1400 block of Church Street in Fogelsville, Pennsylvania. Fox29 But the “very large” snake’s head was far enough from the man to allow an officer a clear shot without risking further injury to its owner. The reptile was shot once in the head but slipped away, Nickischer said. Officers were then able to pull the man to safety before paramedics began treating him. He was rushed to the hospital, but his condition was unclear early Thursday, police said. The pet later died from the single gunshot wound. Nickischer said he wasn’t sure what kind of snake it was or how the reptile got attached to the man’s neck. “It wasn’t like the officers had an opportunity to stop and ask questions,” he said. “The call came in as a cardiac arrest, so they had to move. There was really no time to find out the conditions. These are [answers] we still don’t know.” Several other snake casings were found inside the man’s home, WTXF reported. Police were not notified of the man’s death until the early hours of Thursday, according to Nickischer, who said he believed he had survived. Paramedics used life-saving measures when they responded to the residence Wednesday. “I can’t praise their actions enough,” the veteran officer said. “Nineteen years as a police officer, I don’t think I’ve ever seen anything like this with a snake.”
